About the Screenplay
A sweeping, time-jumping love story about the people we orbit and the moments that define us — told with the emotional clarity of Past Lives and the cinematic confidence of Eternal Sunshine.
The Sleeping Man in Orbit is a lyrical romantic drama about memory, timing, and emotional gravity — following two friends who drift in and out of each other's lives across decades and continents.
At its core, it’s a story about when we meet the right person at the wrong time — and one man’s quiet journey to stop circling the past and land in the present. Aided by sequels, quotes and the shared pop culture that once held them together, he must finally decide: Is memory a map - or a trap?
Tone & Genre
Reflective. Intimate. Slow-burning, with sharp emotional clarity and a pop-culture heartbeat.
Think: Past Lives, Before Sunset, Columbus — with the cultural specificity of the Asian diaspora.
Setting & Scope
From 2000s Bristol to post-crash Wall Street to a wedding in Thailand, Sleeping Man spans time and space without losing the human thread.
Read the full Synopsis
Why Now?
In an age of delayed self-discovery and supporting character syndrome, this is a story about finally becoming the protagonist — told through the eyes of an emotionally complex Asian male lead.
For anyone who’s ever stayed too long, felt overlooked, or carried a connection that never resolved.
Read the full "Why Now?" memo.
Easter Eggs & Pop Culture
And beneath it all? A trail of deep-cut cinematic references… and one unforgettable tribute to the man quietly holding half your favorite movies together, that you won't see coming.
At the intersection of memory, masculinity, and myth, The Sleeping Man in Orbit opens the Pandora’s box of Bill Paxton’s cinematic universe—woven into the emotional survival story of a man learning to rewrite his own ending.